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Monday, 29 December 2014

It is with regret that I will be ending digital downloads of my plans and other downloads on the 1st of January 2015.

http://www.michaeljking.com/plans.htm

This is due to Changes in how VAT is applied to digital goods and its effect on micro business like my own. Selling outside the UK is no longer viable in this way under the new legislation. Since I cannot always tell where a download has come from I have to suspend all digital sales.

I will go back to supplying printed plans and physical CD-ROM discs that contain the plans.

Friday, 19 December 2014

The Kantele Making CD now has an extra
plan(the great new 11string model which is my personal favourite to play) includes the video diary) making a 5
string along with the new playing guide There is a plan for a
piccolo Kantele and the template for my electric kantele as well as the
5, 10, 11, 12 and
15 string kanteles.With Piccolo and Electric kantele Pattern as extras

There's a chapter on making a case along with the video excerpt showing how to outfit it to protect your instrument! all you need to get started

A complete resource for the kantele maker!

why not create your own instruments using my plans to sell at Local craft fairs or to start your own business in your part of the world? By purchasing my plans you are free to make an sell these instruments as many have already done!£35.00
"The
CD is most informative and well worth the money paid. I would recommend
it to any novice or upcoming instrument maker or as a great resource
for the experienced, Michael is very helpful via e-mail and
responds to all queries in a timely and easy to understand manner".

Ben
Corby,
Australia

also: Carole Beasleys Blog follows the making of a
10 String Kantele
in Australian Timbershere!

Thursday, 20 November 2014

2014 version of my Diatonic Bowed Psaltery, now with longer scale length and updated. Instruments and Full size plans are available to purchase from my website

http://www.michaeljking.com/plans.htm

I first made these in the mid 90's and featured on my 1999 website. Back then the focus was on making a travel instrument that fitted into a standard suitcase(the new one does not) The original notes and reduced size plans are included as reference material on my new download but are still available for free separately from my plans download page.

As you know I make Custom Lyres of many kinds to order, I now include Phorminx, Classical Kitharas, Egyptian small lyres as well as Lyres that can be customised to fit various periods, British, Celtic, Germanic etc.

Monday, 20 October 2014

A E a Baritone Tuning using thicker strings on a custom Cherry wood model

The Baritone string set for my standard D model is is 0.016" 0.032W 0.042W This is tuned to A E a, These are higher tension so may not be suitable for all makes of Stick Dulcimer. websitewww.michaeljking.com

Thursday, 26 June 2014

Here are a selection of chord shapes that work on diatonic tuned lyres. With its long scale length you can tune the Trossingen Lyre to

anywhere between D and F# from the lowest note. The optimal length is E or F, The best thing is to pitch it to your Voice pitch when you sing. Here is the Tuning in E diatonic, This example has the strings from low to high left to right, Harpists and Kantele players may like to string the Lyre the other way around with the highest note closest to the body when held. In that case the chord shapes are mirrored.

I have kept the sample chords patterns here identical to the Wiki How page on Lyre chords which is for Lyres in C

anywhere between D and F# from the lowest note. The optimal length is E or F, The best thing is to pitch it to your Voice pitch when you sing. Here is the Tuning in E diatonic, This example has the strings from low to high left to right, Harpists and Kantele players may like to string the Lyre the other way around with the highest note closest to the body when held. In that case the chord shapes are mirrored.

I have kept the sample chords patterns here identical to the Wiki How page on Lyre chords which is for Lyres in C

Friday, 20 June 2014

This is an Amazon Affiliate link to the German language version of their Website, it doesn't cost you any more to buy but adds a tiny bit to my amazon camera fund for better future videos!

My Lyre CD is available from my website as always from my website as a Disc or Download, It has all my Bowed and plucked lyre plans. If you purchase this to make a Trossingen Lyre email me after purchase and I may have an extra download file to help you.

http://www.michaeljking.com/lyre_shop.htm

http://www.michaeljking.com/plans.htm

Do check out my Trossingen Lyre pages, these will be expanded over the coming weeks, watch out too for the follow up videos

http://www.michaeljking.com/trossingen.htm

Special thanks must go to Dr Barbara Theune-Grosskopf Who has helped me and the Lyre Community through her great work and wonderful openness.

Do check out My Anglo Saxon Lyre Community on Yahoo groups

and my Lyre group on facebook, there is a world of lyres out there!

In the video I am using a Kolrosing knife made in the USA by Lee Ferguson see

This is an Amazon Affiliate link to the German language version of their Website, it doesn't cost you any more to buy but adds a tiny bit to my amazon camera fund for better future videos!

My Lyre CD is available from my website as always from my website as a Disc or Download, It has all my Bowed and plucked lyre plans. If you purchase this to make a Trossingen Lyre email me after purchase and I may have an extra download file to help you.

http://www.michaeljking.com/lyre_shop.htm

http://www.michaeljking.com/plans.htm

Do check out my Trossingen Lyre pages, these will be expanded over the coming weeks, watch out too for the follow up videos

http://www.michaeljking.com/trossingen.htm

Special thanks must go to Dr Barbara Theune-Grosskopf Who has helped me and the Lyre Community through her great work and wonderful openness.

Do check out My Anglo Saxon Lyre Community on Yahoo groups

and my Lyre group on facebook, there is a world of lyres out there!

In the video I am using a Kolrosing knife made in the USA by Lee Ferguson see

Wednesday, 14 May 2014

Lyres have been played in the British Isles for Thousands of years, the recent find of a Lyre bridge in Scotland being a Testament to that This.For this example in the video I have used a Sutton Hoo as a generic form and have added Simon Chadwick's Wire Strung Lyre strings, These use a combination of Silver strings with Brass and Iron which sounds very rich when plucked or strummed.

I have added Brass decorative mounts that are inspired by Anglo Saxon/Viking "Celtic" knotwork patterns, These work well for the time period.

Made of maple with Brass mounts and bone and garnet decoration, Metal Harp pins Supplied with a hard case, spare strings and tuning key. Key of D (diatonic or Pentatonic)

yres have been played in the British Isles for Thousands of years, the recent find of a Lyre bridge in Scotland being a Testament to that This.For this example in the video I have used a Sutton Hoo as a generic form and have added Simon Chadwick's Wire Strung Lyre strings, These use a combination of Silver strings with Brass and Iron which sounds very rich when plucked or strummed.

I have added Brass decorative mounts that are inspired by Anglo Saxon/Viking "Celtic" knotwork patterns, These work well for the time period.

Made of maple with Brass mounts and bone and garnet decoration, Metal Harp pins Supplied with a hard case, spare strings and tuning key. Key of D (diatonic or Pentatonic)

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Sunday, 4 May 2014

The Lyre was always an instrument that was accessible and easy to play, true whether we are talking about the archaic Greek Lyres or Anglo saxon lyres, it was an instrument that could be passed around and just about anyone could block a few chords and strum. At the same time it was the instrument of the Bards, and in the right hands the virtuoso could do magical things with it. It explains why some instruments were given names and accredited with special powers.

Lyre Tuning
Lyres at the end of the instruments period were being tuning in a Diatonic tuning and its mostly this tuning I have used on my Lyres, The Sutton Hoo size I make is mostly tuned to G tuning. The smaller Cologne lyre is in C, Other players use Pentatonic tunings and others.

The basic Lyre techniques of what is called "block and Strum" is the foundation of the playing

Depending on the tuning fingers of the left hand damp or block certain strings as all the strings are strummed.

In my Anglo Saxon Lyre Playing guide using a Lyre tuned to G Diatonic Here is the tuning in my video
G A B c d e
After I go through some of the techniques:

X notes are ones where your fingers touch the strings

O notes are open strings

//// number of strums

There are many patterns which you can learn to create different chords and notes between chords, here are some examples

G chord O X O X O X

C chord O X X O X O

D chord X O X X O X

Am X O X O X O

Strumming Pattern example

Strumming pattern written out simply:

X O X X X O //// X O X X O O //// X O X O X O /////

XO O X X O//// X O X O X O /////

X O X X O O ///// X O O X X O ///// X O X X X O

Tune example:

Many monastic tunes can work on the lyre as do simple folk songs and tunesHymn to St. Magnus

Misty Mountains

Lyre playing Song:

This is the story of Cadmons Hymn, It highlights the importance of Song in Anglo Saxon Society and the transition to the Chrsitian Faith.
as Sam Newton says its a Great Window into the pre-Christian world as well as the early British Christianity.

This is a good Bardic performance of Beowulf by Bagby for extra inspiration:

As there are only a handful of Songs that date from the period the lyre was most played, To further extend your repertoire you can do What Mark Allen Barnes has done and use folk and modern songs to strum and sing to.

Advanced Techniques
When I was beginning I took most of my playing style and techniques and playing from Kantele playing as this instrument has a lot of parallels culturally.
In this next video we are shown some advanced block and strum and plucking techniques:

Youtube user Songstress73 uploading Germanic/Scandinavian songs with lyre accompaniment.She includes the original with English translationFound it very inspiring, thought I would shareMóðir Mín Í Kví, Kví

If you have any questions please post them here or on either of my Lyre forums and the Lyre playing community will get beck to you!
If you are interested in making your own lyre please see my "lyre Making CD-Rom" on my website, now available as a download too for instant access.

Much more lyre music and instruments to come this year, Wire Strung Irish Lyres, Trossingen and Ancient Greek Lyres